Are You New to Self-Publishing?
This might be your first book ever, which means you don't have a clue what to do or how any of this stuff works. We understand that. We're self-publishers who help self-publishers. We've got extensive experience working with first-time self-publishers and new authors. If you need a little extra help to figure out what to do, we're here for you. We want to make your dream book come true.
Self-publishing books can sometimes feel overwhelming, because there's so much information to try and keep straight. Don't worry! Thousands of people just like you have self-published children's books, and they didn't know where to start either. Allow us to walk you through what we do here at Wee Books Design.
Maybe this isn't your first rodeo. You've been there and done that. You've got a title or two (or three) under your belt, and you just need the right partner to transform your story and illustrations into a book that would fit right in with the best titles on a store shelf. You've come to the right place. Making great-looking books is what we do.
Here's What We Do
We design children's picture books.
To be clear: We don't work on novels. We don't work on chapter books. We don't work on cookbooks, or journals or coloring books. We only design children's picture books.
What exactly does it mean to design a book? Using various software programs and our years of expertise, we combine your story and illustrations, along with all the various elements of a children's book, into a digital file that can be sent to your printer, whether that's a local printer, online printer or print-on-demand service like Amazon KDP or Ingram Spark.
We're children's picture book design experts. This means that we know all the little things a book maker (in contrast to a general graphic designer) needs to know. For example:
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How to design irresistible covers
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How to write compelling book blurbs (also known as back matter)
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How to set proper margins
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Choosing the best fonts for a book
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Cleaning up illustrations and making them ready to print
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Assembling and the necessary ingredients of book like ISBNs, LCCNs and copyright info
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Creating a professional design like the big publishing houses
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And most importantly, avoiding the common design mistakes that hurt self-published books
That last point is important, because a good book designer makes sure your book fits right in with any book from Scholastic or Penguin. Amateur design mistakes will destroy that professional look and cost you readers, because the everyday reader who picks up a book can instantly see the difference between amateur work and professional work, even when they can't explain how they know.
We've been working on books for years. It's what we do. It's what we know. It's what we love. Our job is to take your hard work and create the book of your dreams—a book that exceeds your expectations and sets you up for success as a children's picture book author. Welcome!
Once the questionnaire is answered and your printer is chosen, we can properly get started.
We don't like to waste any time, so you should receive your first interiors and cover draft within a week of receiving the completed questionnaire. You can approve the work as is or request revisions. We offer up to 3 rounds of revisions for the interiors and the cover.
Once the work is approved, we'll apply for your LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number), which is a number used by libraries for shelving books. This is not required, so you're free to skip this step if you prefer. A requirement of obtaining an LCCN is to ship a copy of your book to the Library of Congress.
Once your LCCN is received (usually within 2 weeks) we'll add it to your interior copyright page and you'll receive a print-ready PDF file. We're also happy to send the files anywhere on your behalf or upload them to Amazon KDP or Ingram Spark, if you've paid for Amazon KDP or Ingram Spark setup.
If you've invested in one of our packages that includes extra marketing materials, this is when we'll begin work on those. You'll receive initial drafts of everything, options for 3 rounds of revisions and the final files delivered in the appropriate formats when they're ready. Delivery of these extra files will take between 1 to 2 weeks.
In the end, we'll deliver high quality digital files for printing and low quality digital files for internet use of all your materials. Then, pop the cork on some champagne, because you've got a beautiful book!
Here's How We Design Books
We like to know how things work before we pay for them. Many of you might feel the same, so we'd like to share our book design process with you.
It starts when you pay for one of our service packages. You'll send us all your materials, which includes the finished manuscript, your illustrations and any other photos or materials that you'd like to include in the book. We'll also need your ISBN and final print size, but if you don't have those up front don't worry—we'll walk you through it.
Once we get your materials, we'll send you a very short list of questions to answer. This ensures we have all the information we need to design your book.
A special note here: The most important things to nail down at the beginning are your printer of choice and print size. This is important because a) not every printer offers every print size and b) we'll need a cover template from your printer to properly set up your front and back cover. Your basic options are to choose a local printer, an online printer, an overseas printer or a print-on-demand service. Don't worry if this sounds intimidating. Thousands of other self-publishers have been through it. We'll walk you through the process.
Choosing the Wrong Company
Can Be a Nightmare.
Emma was ready to pull her hair out with frustration. She'd always dreamed of writing a children's book. Now, she finally had the time and disposable income to make that dream come true. She wasn't looking to make a career out of writing or to sell 10,000 copies. She just wanted to create her own book and hold it in her hands.
She decided to choose a company to help her out, since she knew absolutely nothing about publishing or printing. She found one, paid the fee and they got to work. They edited the story. They arranged for illustration. Everything seemed to be going fine.
But things slowed down. They weren't answering messages as quickly. She requested revisions that never happened. Her frustrations piled up. Before she realized it, an entire YEAR passed by, and her book STILL wasn't finished. All she wanted was to make one great-looking book, and this company had dropped the ball. If she couldn't make the book she wanted, she'd rather not make a book at all.
That's when I met her. She told me what was happening. I told her it was a common problem. I've heard the same story many times. People go into business with a random company who seem like they know what they're doing until they get paid. Then the truth comes out, that they're out to make an easy buck, not to help author's create their best books. We agreed to work together and here's what happened.
She sent me everything she'd gotten from the company along with the changes she'd requested. I set the book up and made the changes. To fill up some of the empty space (like the copyright page), I cut out pieces of the artwork from other pages and added them in. I added some color and visual elements to the text pages because it fit the style and tone of the book. I also set up a new cover, with a new title and back matter. I delivered her print files, which she sent to the original company (since she'd already paid for their printing services) and she finally was able to print the kind of book she'd envisioned from the beginning.
Speed
We know you can't wait to get your book into the hands of your readers, and we want to make that happen as quickly as possible. Because we value your time and our own, we've developed processes to efficiently create custom book layouts that make your story shine. We move quickly because of our systems and experience, not by relying on templates or other shortcuts that produce cookie cutter results. We believe in speed.
Communication
Clear communication is vital, especially when people are collaborating on a creative project. We don't like wasted time, hassle or frustration, so we communication clearly, directly and often to make sure we're on the same page. We want you to know what's going on every step of the way, and we want you to feel comfortable enough to tell us exactly what you want—the end result of this process is a book that truly represents you.
Quality
Nothing else matters if the books don't look great. Our goal is to make books that fit in with anything coming from Scholastic, Penguin or any other top-quality producer of children's picture books. Beyond that, our goal is to make books that your audience will find irresistible.
Sales
You might not care about selling books. That's no problem. But if you are focused on sales, we'll make a book your audience will want to buy. That means the cover, copy and aesthetics will appeal to YOUR audience. We do this by combining the principles of direct marketing with the principles of great children's book design. Again, this may not be important to you, but if it is, we're here to support your sales goals with rock solid principles of sales.
Here's How We Stand Out
Your Book
Doesn't Have to Be
Just "Okay"
Ron was retired and ready to write. He grew up as a poor kid in the south, in a farming culture that was quickly disappearing, and he wanted to preserve and honor the stories of his community and his life in a series of children's books. He had time. He had ideas. Now he needed to put it all together.
Ron made a list of all his story ideas, picked one, then got to work. For him, the writing part was easy, and a great excuse to take a stroll down memory lane.
With the story in hand, he found a local illustrator to create the artwork. So far, so good.
The problems started when it was time to publish the book. As a first-time self-publisher, he had no idea how the book design and publishing processes worked, so he found a company to help him. The website looked good. They looked like the real deal to him, so he reached out, paid the fee and sent them his stuff.
The people seemed nice enough, but every step of the process was SLOOOOW. Every email. Every revision. Every response took longer than it should have. Before he knew it 6 MONTHS had slipped by, and the book still wasn't published. Remember, Ron's story was written, and the illustration work was totally done. All this company had to do was put it all together and send it off for printing.
Now, if this company dragged its feet, but delivered an amazing book design, maybe Ron wouldn't have cared so much. Good things come to those who wait, right? In this case, no, they didn't. The book design was okay. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't great. It was barely passable.
Anyway, the book was finally published, and Ron was able to get to work selling it, but he promised himself he'd never use that company to work on another book.
Check Out Some of Our Work
Here is what you can expect from us:
First, we'll never phone it in. We don't recycle layouts. We don't use templates. Our designs are made specifically for YOUR book, because our job is to make a book that represents your vision, looks great and stands out among other books on the shelf.
Second, we don't design with AI. Here's how we see it: AI is a useful tool for coming up with ideas and thinking through problems, but its design work is boring. That's because AI is designed to copy. After all, the entire reason it works is that it's trained on millions of images that already exist, so anything it gives you is literally average. We don't want to make average work. We want to make great work, which means we don't design with AI.
Check out some examples of our design work below.
Frequently Asked Questions
We've Got a Design Package for YOU
We know every author has different goals, needs and budgets, so we've designed our packages to reflect that. Whether you're trying to build a career as an author and sell thousands of books, or you're creating a book for you friends and family because you've always wanted to, we've got a package that will work for you.
By the way, mixing and matching is fine. If there's a service missing from the package you want, let us know. We'll make it happen. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to fire them our way with the contact form.
Basic Design
Package
$575
-
Basic Proofreading
-
Book design (paperback and/or hardcover and/or eBook)
-
Clean-up of your illustration files
-
Front and back cover setup
-
Barcode generation
-
LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number)
-
PDF interiors print file delivered to you
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PDF cover print files delivered to you
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JPG images of your book cover
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5 social media / marketing images
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Create your social media images
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1 author business card design
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1 author bookmark design
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1 6-foot table banner design
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Write your book blurb
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Write your author bio
-
Create your Sell Sheet
-
Set up your Media Kit
Premium Design
Package
$875
-
Basic Proofreading
-
Book design (paperback and/or hardcover and/or eBook)
-
Clean-up of your illustration files
-
Front and back cover setup
-
Barcode generation
-
LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number)
-
PDF interiors print file delivered to you
-
PDF cover print files delivered to you
-
JPG images of your book cover
-
5 social media / marketing images
-
Create your social media images
-
1 author business card design
-
1 author bookmark design
-
1 6-foot table banner design
-
Write your book blurb
-
Write your author bio
-
Create your Sell Sheet
-
Set up your Media Kit
Ultimate Design
Package
$1,175
-
Basic Proofreading
-
Book design (paperback and/or hardcover and/or eBook)
-
Clean-up of your illustration files
-
Front and back cover setup
-
Barcode generation
-
LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number)
-
PDF interiors print file delivered to you
-
PDF cover print files delivered to you
-
JPG images of your book cover
-
5 social media / marketing images
-
Create your social media images
-
1 author business card design
-
1 author bookmark design
-
1 6-foot table banner design
-
Write your book blurb
-
Write your author bio
-
Create your Sell Sheet
-
Set up your Media Kit
Basic Design
Package
$575
-
Proofreading
-
Book design
-
Cover Design
-
Illustration clean-up
-
Barcode
-
LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number)
-
PDF print files
-
Cover image JPGs
-
5 social media / marketing images
-
Social media branding
-
Business card design
-
Bookmark design
-
6-foot table banner design
-
Book blurb
-
Author bio
-
Sell sheet
-
Media kit
Premium Design
Package
$875
-
Proofreading
-
Book design
-
Cover Design
-
Illustration clean-up
-
Barcode
-
LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number)
-
PDF print files
-
Cover image JPGs
-
5 social media / marketing images
-
Social media branding
-
Business card design
-
Bookmark design
-
6-foot table banner design
-
Book blurb
-
Author bio
-
Sell sheet
-
Media kit
Ultimate Design
Package
$1,175
-
Proofreading
-
Book design
-
Cover Design
-
Illustration clean-up
-
Barcode
-
LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number)
-
PDF print files
-
Cover image JPGs
-
5 social media / marketing images
-
Social media branding
-
Business card design
-
Bookmark design
-
6-foot table banner design
-
Book blurb
-
Author bio
-
Sell sheet
-
Media kit
Which Plan is Right For You?
There are a lot of options listed in these three packages. If you're new to self-publishing, you might be scratching your head, wondering which one is right for you. Let's talk about who might benefit from each package.
The Basic Package is for writers just having fun. They're publishing for friends and family, not to sell books. Alternatively, this package is for those on a lower budget who need to stretch every dollar. The Basic Package covers the bare basics of book design. It includes nothing you might use for marketing.
The Premium Package is for those who want to get out in the community and sell a few books. They're not looking to replace their jobs but selling a hundred or so books sounds great. This package gives writers the tools to get the word out about their book and to attend events to sell them.
The Ultimate Package is for authors who are serious about selling books. This is when publishing is becoming more than a hobby—it's a side business. The Ultimate Package gives you the tools you'll need if you're doing press, visiting schools and beginning to sell online.
Basic Design
Package
$575
-
Basic Proofreading
-
Book design (paperback and/or hardcover and/or eBook)
-
Clean-up of your illustration files
-
Front and back cover setup
-
Barcode generation
-
LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number)
-
PDF interiors print file delivered to you
-
PDF cover print files delivered to you
-
JPG images of your book cover
-
5 social media / marketing images
-
Create your social media images
-
1 author business card design
-
1 author bookmark design
-
1 6-foot table banner design
-
Write your book blurb
-
Write your author bio
-
Create your Sell Sheet
-
Set up your Media Kit
Premium Design
Package
$875
-
Basic Proofreading
-
Book design (paperback and/or hardcover and/or eBook)
-
Clean-up of your illustration files
-
Front and back cover setup
-
Barcode generation
-
LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number)
-
PDF interiors print file delivered to you
-
PDF cover print files delivered to you
-
JPG images of your book cover
-
5 social media / marketing images
-
Create your social media images
-
1 author business card design
-
1 author bookmark design
-
1 6-foot table banner design
-
Write your book blurb
-
Write your author bio
-
Create your Sell Sheet
-
Set up your Media Kit
Ultimate Design
Package
$1,175
-
Basic Proofreading
-
Book design (paperback and/or hardcover and/or eBook)
-
Clean-up of your illustration files
-
Front and back cover setup
-
Barcode generation
-
LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number)
-
PDF interiors print file delivered to you
-
PDF cover print files delivered to you
-
JPG images of your book cover
-
5 social media / marketing images
-
Create your social media images
-
1 author business card design
-
1 author bookmark design
-
1 6-foot table banner design
-
Write your book blurb
-
Write your author bio
-
Create your Sell Sheet
-
Set up your Media Kit
Basic Design
Package
$575
-
Basic Proofreading
-
Book design (paperback and/or hardcover and/or eBook)
-
Clean-up of your illustration files
-
Front and back cover setup
-
Barcode generation
-
LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number)
-
PDF interiors print file delivered to you
-
PDF cover print files delivered to you
-
JPG images of your book cover
-
5 social media / marketing images
-
Create your social media images
-
1 author business card design
-
1 author bookmark design
-
1 6-foot table banner design
-
Write your book blurb
-
Write your author bio
-
Create your Sell Sheet
-
Set up your Media Kit
Basic Design
Package
$575
-
Proofreading
-
Book design
-
Cover design
-
Illustration clean-up
-
Barcode
-
LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number)
-
PDF print files
-
Book cover JPGs
-
5 social media / marketing images
-
Social media branding
-
Business card design
-
Bookmark design
-
6-foot table banner design
-
Book blurb
-
Author bio
-
Sell sheet
-
Media kit
Ultimate Design
Package
$1,175
-
Basic Proofreading
-
Book design (paperback and/or hardcover and/or eBook)
-
Clean-up of your illustration files
-
Front and back cover setup
-
Barcode generation
-
LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number)
-
PDF interiors print file delivered to you
-
PDF cover print files delivered to you
-
JPG images of your book cover
-
5 social media / marketing images
-
Create your social media images
-
1 author business card design
-
1 author bookmark design
-
1 6-foot table banner design
-
Write your book blurb
-
Write your author bio
-
Create your Sell Sheet
-
Set up your Media Kit
Basic Design
Package
$575
-
Basic Proofreading
-
Book design (paperback and/or hardcover and/or eBook)
-
Clean-up of your illustration files
-
Front and back cover setup
-
Barcode generation
-
LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number)
-
PDF interiors print file delivered to you
-
PDF cover print files delivered to you
-
JPG images of your book cover
-
5 social media / marketing images
-
Create your social media images
-
1 author business card design
-
1 author bookmark design
-
1 6-foot table banner design
-
Write your book blurb
-
Write your author bio
-
Create your Sell Sheet
-
Set up your Media Kit
Premium Design
Package
$875
-
Proofreading
-
Book design
-
Cover design
-
Illustration clean-up
-
Barcode
-
LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number)
-
PDF print files
-
Book cover JPGs
-
5 social media / marketing images
-
Social media branding
-
Business card design
-
Bookmark design
-
6-foot table banner design
-
Book blurb
-
Author bio
-
Sell sheet
-
Media kit
Ultimate Design
Package
$1,175
-
Basic Proofreading
-
Book design (paperback and/or hardcover and/or eBook)
-
Clean-up of your illustration files
-
Front and back cover setup
-
Barcode generation
-
LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number)
-
PDF interiors print file delivered to you
-
PDF cover print files delivered to you
-
JPG images of your book cover
-
5 social media / marketing images
-
Create your social media images
-
1 author business card design
-
1 author bookmark design
-
1 6-foot table banner design
-
Write your book blurb
-
Write your author bio
-
Create your Sell Sheet
-
Set up your Media Kit
Basic Design
Package
$575
-
Basic Proofreading
-
Book design (paperback and/or hardcover and/or eBook)
-
Clean-up of your illustration files
-
Front and back cover setup
-
Barcode generation
-
LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number)
-
PDF interiors print file delivered to you
-
PDF cover print files delivered to you
-
JPG images of your book cover
-
5 social media / marketing images
-
Create your social media images
-
1 author business card design
-
1 author bookmark design
-
1 6-foot table banner design
-
Write your book blurb
-
Write your author bio
-
Create your Sell Sheet
-
Set up your Media Kit
Premium Design
Package
$875
-
Basic Proofreading
-
Book design (paperback and/or hardcover and/or eBook)
-
Clean-up of your illustration files
-
Front and back cover setup
-
Barcode generation
-
LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number)
-
PDF interiors print file delivered to you
-
PDF cover print files delivered to you
-
JPG images of your book cover
-
5 social media / marketing images
-
Create your social media images
-
1 author business card design
-
1 author bookmark design
-
1 6-foot table banner design
-
Write your book blurb
-
Write your author bio
-
Create your Sell Sheet
-
Set up your Media Kit
Ultimate Design
Package
$1,175
-
Proofreading
-
Book design
-
Cover design
-
Illustration clean-up
-
Barcode
-
LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number)
-
PDF print files
-
Book cover JPGs
-
5 social media / marketing images
-
Social media branding
-
Business card design
-
Bookmark design
-
6-foot table banner design
-
Book blurb
-
Author bio
-
Sell sheet
-
Media kit
We Know Making Books is a Dream
You'd be surprised at the number of people who've had an idea for a book rattling around in the back of their heads for decades. Some people have been writing stories for years—just for fun—and tucked them away in a drawer. When the time is right, they blow the dust off these old stories and make them into books.
We like helping regular people craft the book of their dreams. Our sincere hope is that you hand your book to your friends and family, and their jaws drop, because you didn't just make a book, you made a GREAT book.
We'd love to help you on your journey. Let us know how we can help you.
How About a Gift?
Self-publishers make common mistakes that identify their books as "amateur" and cost them readers. We don't want that to happen to you. In this report, you'll discover 5 of the most common mistakes we see and how to avoid them. Click the button below to join the newsletter and get a free copy emailed to you.
We wrote a report about 5 of the most common design mistakes self-publishers make. This knowledge will help you identify and avoid the red flags that destroy the look of a book. If you care about getting more readers and making better books, click the button below to join our newsletter and receive your free report.
How About a Gift?
